Last Picture Show

[ubsman]

This seems like it would be improved if it was in color. What's the possibility of that ever happening?

[Oatsdad]

This seems like it would be improved if it was in color. What's the possibility of that ever happening?

Is this a joke? I hope so.

[Metralla]

It's not funny.

[ubsman]

No, I'd like to see it in color. Not suggesting the current version be put out of print. Texasville was in color. Crummy movie though. So why do you think color would be objectionable? Was it filmed in color originally?

[Michael]

It was filmed in B&W and should stay that way...great movie...loved Randy Q.

[Mark]

The black and white adds to the ambience of the film. Like Steve says, whatever looks and sounds good to you is what's important, but colorizing this would, in my mind, be a big mistake.

[Mal]

....Was it filmed in color originally?
Nope.

Do you actually like colorized black & white movies?!

[reechie]

It was conceived, filmed and always presented in black and white. It was always meant to be seen that way. If Bogdonovich had meant for it to be seen in color, he would have filmed and released it that way. Black and white was his artistic vision for the film, and a colorized version would be like painting a moustache on the Mona Lisa.

You're assuming that Bogdonovich shot the film in color, and for whatever reason, had it printed in black and white. This is not the case. When using black and white, the director is going for a certain look, feel and mood that color film does not provide. The cinematography is planned and conceived specifically for black and white. Black and white has to be lit differently, the sets have to be conceived and painted to show up best in black and white, even makeup and wardrobe have to be applied with black and white filming in mind. This is why colorized films look so bad, they were never meant to be seen that way.

As crummy a film as Texasville is, it's in color because that's the artistic vision Bogdonovich had when he made it, as opposed to the more bleak feel of the original film.

[britt2001b]

I was a movie projectionist back in the early 70's. The first night we played "The Last Picture Show" an audience member sent me a note to "please adjust the color!" :laugh:

[Ed Bishop]

I was a movie projectionist back in the early 70's. The first night we played "The Last Picture Show" an audience member sent me a note to "please adjust the color!" :laugh:

Too bad you didn't send a note back: "Sorry, we seem to have misplaced our 'color lens' for our projector".....:D

:ed:

[reechie]

I was a movie projectionist back in the early 70's. The first night we played "The Last Picture Show" an audience member sent me a note to "please adjust the color!" :laugh:
How'd you break it to him? :)

Black and white rules! :righton:

[Ed Bishop]

This seems like it would be improved if it was in color. What's the possibility of that ever happening?

To be serious for a moment(hate that!)...not likely at all. Some attempts were made in the '80s to colorize, and while the technology has improved since then, the attitudes against it have gotten even stronger, not just from us fans, but directors, producers, actors, writers....and the studios tend to listen to those loud voices, and I'm glad they do.

B&W is a unique art form when properly used, and anyone who goes into a film with a B&W as the final result is going to film for B&W, from makeup to sets...everything is set and calibrated for B&W, not color. Despite all the attempts, it's very difficult to discern what color something should be when you'd need, at the least, color production stills or costume design notes to be sure.

:ed:

[britt2001b]

How'd you break it to him? :)

Black and white rules! :righton:

I didn't respond. I do recall a few people walked out, but it could have been because of the adult content of the film. By the way, I thought "The Last Picture Show" was a wonderful film. Black and white helped to set the tone for the depression the town was experiencing.

[britt2001b]

Too bad you didn't send a note back: "Sorry, we seem to have misplaced our 'color lens' for our projector".....:D

:ed:

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[xios]

I seem to remember Peter B's humble quote about why he chose black and white for "Last Picture Show"-"...because all the great films were black and white."

[BradOlson]

This is the same reason why Frankenheimer went for B&W on "The Manchurian Candidate."

[JohnG]

Bogdonovich will be appearing here on Long Island next week discussing the movie after a screening of this great film.

Wish I could attend.

[Oatsdad]

To be serious for a moment(hate that!)...not likely at all. Some attempts were made in the '80s to colorize, and while the technology has improved since then, the attitudes against it have gotten even stronger, not just from us fans, but directors, producers, actors, writers....and the studios tend to listen to those loud voices, and I'm glad they do.

It ain't gone, though. Fox has released a few colorized DVDs lately, such as "Night of the Living Dead"...

[bldg blok]

I hope it's not too much of a thread crap, but the whole "B&W vs. Color" debate causes me to think back to about 10 years ago when the cable channel TNT secured the rights to broadcast the 60's classic series "The Wild Wild West" (I'm sure I'm stirring memories for the middle-aged on the forums just by mentioning it). They had a marathon the first weekend w/ the episodes that featured my fave villain, Dr. Miguelito Loveless, and they did them in chronological order. That meant that the B&W episodes came first. I just loved how those captured the feel of the era the shows were set in. When the color episodes kicked in, it felt like air was being let out of the tires. I never took much notice of it as a kid, but watching it as an adult I really enjoyed the B&W eps to the color.

I don't know why people think B&W is inferior and I can think of two fairly recent films that I love that were filmed in B&W: "Dead Man" & "Ed Wood". I saw Tim Burton's "Biography" on A&E and they mentioned the grief the studio gave him on the decision to film EW in B&W. They failed to realize how well that choice fit that in w/ that period of Ed's career.

[Mike F]

Just keep it out of Ted Turner's paws!!!

I just turn the colour off my set when I see a colourized film. :)